This week Amber West and I return to somewhat of a normal Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday review – last week’s sex conversation had me all sorts of flustered.
What do girls do when they’re flustered? We rely on our girlfriends… which is why my TV partner-in-crime and I thought it best to review two television programs that feature women and their ever-important relationships with their girlfriends – Best Friends Forever and GCB.
Originally Good Christian Bitches and later Good Christian Belles, GCB follows a former high school Queen “B” (Amanda, played by Leslie Bibb from Crossing Jordan) after she returns to her home town (Dallas) following the death of her husband. Along with her two teenage children, Amanda moves in with her mother (Annie Potts, Designing Women) and attempts to pull her life back together – not only did her husband die with another woman by his side, but he was also guilty of embezzling millions of dollars from his clients (yet another TV show with a ponzi scheme storyline).
Despite the fact that Amanda left her “mean girl” days behind her, the girls she terrorized in high school haven’t quite forgotten the way she treated them. Everyone, including Amanda’s mother, seems to be stuck in the past and the tables have turned on her.
GCB also stars Kristin Chenoweth (Pushing Daisies) as Carlene, Marisol Nichols (24) as Heather, Jennifer Aspen (Party of Five) as Sharon, and Miriam Shor (Damages) as Cricket, the girls Amanda terrorized in high school still living in Dallas – the girls she donned the “javelinas” (ugly girls). Of course, not one of these women is physically ugly by any means, but they do mask their true intentions by hiding behind His Word and their church.
Each and every one of these ladies are successful in their own right, but for three of them life wouldn’t be the same without their husbands: David James Elliott (JAG) plays Carlene’s husband, Ripp Cockburn (one of the best Texas names I’ve ever heard, and I live in Texas) who owns massive real estate, local businesses, and anything else that makes tons of money; Brad Beyer (Jericho) plays Sharon’s husband, Zack Peacham who played professional football for the Cowboys and now owns a struggling luxury car dealership; and Mark Deklin (Lone Star) plays Cricket’s husband, Blake Reilly, a “real” cowboy who happens to have a Dallas-sized secret of his own (he’s gay).
When I first saw the previews for GCB, I hoped it was ABC’s next Desperate Housewives. The potential for massive drama is there – Ripp seems to be one of the many that Amanda’s ex-husband ripped off, and he wants his money back – but as the show title indicates, the series is mostly dramedy showcasing the teeny-tiny cat fights the girls always find themselves wrapped up in.
Carlene always leads the pack, horrified by everything teenage Amanda did and said to her. Sharon is not at all confident and constantly fears that Amanda is going to steal her man, much like she did Cricket’s high school boyfriend (Amanda’s deceased husband). Heather appears to be the only rational member of the foursome, and actually accepts Amanda’s apology and refrains from any of the vengeful games the others launch at her (unless she’s being threatened by Carlene, Sharon, or Cricket for whatever reason).
As usual, the show takes the regular Texas accent and twists it into the hideous Texas TV Twang we’ve grown accustomed to over the years. Seriously Hollywood, we don’t sound like that! And let’s not forget the idealism that everything is bigger in Texas, they play that up to a “T” as well, in addition to the Texan’s love affair with the 2nd Amendment and BBQ.
But bottom line, GCB is fun. It’s not great, it’s not even a series that I would rank in my top twenty – but it’s fun with its over-the-top humor (Annie Potts steals the show, hands down). I do laugh, but I still haven’t decided if I’m laughing at the show or with the show.
I’m torn as to how to rate GCB – it’s definitely not LOTV, nor is it NIV. But what is it? After watching the conclusion of the first season, GCB earns the JFTV rating – but it’s the kind of junk food that we should only reach for when we’ve kept to our workout regimen and there’s nothing left in the cupboard besides that bag of chocolate we know deep down we really should avoid.
Maybe if it makes it to a season two, GCB will redeem itself and move up the scale. I know it has the potential to be better than it actually is. And like I said, now that Desperate Housewives is done, I’m looking for a show to fill the Wisteria Lane gap. I’m not hating here… really, I’m not. I just want more.
What do you think? Did you watch the first season of GCB? Do you agree or disagree with my rating? Who’s your favorite character and why? Do you think the show will be back for season two? I’d love to hear from you!
Now click over to Amber’s blog and see what she thinks about another show that focuses on the relationships between female characters that also happens to form another acronym, BFF or Best Friends Forever…
Come back next week when Amber and I revisit a few of our SSTV reviews… How will Scandal and Missing fare today?
Remember to stop by the #watchwed hashtag in Twitter to discuss any of today’s reviews, or to mention any television programs that you’d like to see on Why It’s Worth a Watch Wednesday in the future.
A Recap of The WatchWed Review System:
GTV (Gourmet TV): Everything we want and more
MacTV (MacNCheese TV): Guilty pleasure. Not perfect, but is satisfies
GMacTV (Gourmet MacNCheese TV): A combination of fine wine and comfort food
JFTV (Junk food TV): It’s not great for us, but we’ll go back for seconds
TBPTV (Twice Baked Potato TV): Part gourmet and delicious, while absolutely horrible for our cholesterol
SSTV (Still Simmering TV): It has potential, but the jury is still out
NIV (Nyquil Induced Viewing): Perfect for that late night television sleep timer
LOTV (Liver&Onions TV): Do we really have to explain? Blech
Tiffany A White's Ooo Factor 